


Paint A Picture

by Detroitbydark



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Apples and X-wings, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, Grown up Evie, Pre-Relationship, dont ask me how I came up with this, pilotprincess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 12:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13547421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Detroitbydark/pseuds/Detroitbydark
Summary: Poe receives a call he wasn’t expecting.





	Paint A Picture

The smell of burning electrical stung Poe’s nose and he couldn’t shake the sound of alarms still buzzing like phantoms in his ears. He was bone tired and felt as if every last inch of his body had been beaten. He supposed he had in a way. Black Squadron’s routine patrol had gone ass up when they’d run across a clutch of TIEs on a patrol of their own. To say things had gotten heated was an understatement. They’d all managed to make it home in one piece.

Barely.

Jessica had lost a thrust engine. Snap had two inoperable laser cannons. Both had taken light damage compared to Poe. His X-wing was in pieces in the hangar. The loss of particularly important servo had left him unable to fold his wings up and he wasn’t sure how the right upper wing assembly had managed to stay attached. He chalked it up to an amazing stroke of luck that he was still in one piece himself.

Limping the damaged craft in had taken every bit of skill he possessed. The landing was less finesse and more controlled chaos the sound of twisting metal and alarms were going to haunt him for a while. He felt like, after a head to toe in the medbay, he had more bacta patches on than skin. He contemplated a shower but a trip to the ‘fresher felt like both the best idea and the most difficult task he’d ever contemplated. In the end he chose to worry about it after he’d had enough sleep to think clearly. BB-8 rolled slowly ahead of him, it was feeling it too. His little buddy had earned an upgrade. Without the trusted droid working it’s magic Poe knew he’d have been nothing more than Bantha fodder in the black of space.

“Go on Buddy, get your repairs started” Poe encouraged, pushing the door to his bunk open and ushering the droid in. While he’d never call it spacious, the small bunk was as close as he was going to get to home for the time being. It was the first time in recent memory that he’d had one all to himself, the bed above his own had become storage for excess gear and miscellaneous pieces of this and that he'd collected along the way. It had been hard to adjust to, the silence of it all. Privacy had been hard to come by before Crait now they were in excess of it.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he thought again of that damn salt rock and everything that had led up to it. He didn’t want to think about why so many people on base had their own bunks now. He didn’t like examining his own roll in the series of events that led up to it. He pulled roughly at his flight suit, suddenly feeling hot and stifled by it. Faces of his comrades flashed in his mind, the fallen he’d never see again thanks to the First Order. His heart rate ticked up a notch as snaps and zippers were undone. He shoved the orange jumpsuit to the ground feeling the building tension ebb as he stepped out of it. He sat for a moment trying to let his breathing even out. He bent his head, allowing it to rest in the palms of his hands for a moment before pushing roughly off the bed. Moving to the small dresser pressed against the duracrete wall, Poe swapped his undershirt and shorts out for clean ones. The adrenaline dump he was beginning to feel was weighing on him. All he wanted was about two rotations worth of sleep. If he fell asleep now he could get maybe half of one, if his luck held out. Falling on top of his covers he let his eyes drift shut, relaxing into the rough sheets. He drifted on the wings of exhaustion not really awake but definitely not asleep.

He heard the familiar whir of his Astro-mech before BB-8 was bumping his arm. He cracked an eye open giving his partner a questioning look. The little droid was holding out a commlink. Poe hadn't heard it. scrubbing his face he rolled to his side and took the proffered device before nodding thanks to his mechanical friend.

“Poe?” Despite his exhaustion he couldn’t help but smile at the voice that came through the link.

“Hey Princess.” He could hear her huff on the other side.

“I hate it when you call me that” the woman on the other end fussed good naturedly.

Evie Grimhilde was legitimate royalty or at least she’d been born into a family that was. She’d joined the Resistance not long before Crait. From what he’d been told, her mother had fallen in bed with the First Order after her father’s death and it had come to the point where the young woman could no longer ignore the death and destruction her Mother’s loyalty to the First Order had caused.

Poe had been sent to retrieve her. The woman had spent years around high profile military leaders and their supporters. She’d been feeding information to the Resistance for months before General Organa has given him the orders to bring her in. It hadn’t been the milk run he’d figured it would be and the two had laid the foundation for friendship on the journey. He liked her. Evie had a sharp mind and quick wit that Poe found himself drawn to. She wasn’t bad on the eyes either. He’d heard more than a few pilots in the hangar remark on her looks when she’d come to meet him for lunch.

Poe chuckled quietly. “I know. Why do you think I call you it.” Sitting up and pressing his back against the wall he pulled his sore legs in, getting comfortable. What had it been, a week, maybe two since they’d talked? Evie had been drafted into intelligence’s merry little band of analysts and spies. Between their missions and training he hadn’t had much time to see her lately. If she wanted to talk than he wasn’t about to turn her down. “Let me guess,” he asked, trying to sound more light than his heart was feeling “Bad day?”

Evie laughed and he tried to take a moment to memorize the sound. She didn’t do it as often as he liked. “How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess?” He thought back to his landing earlier, “they’re going around.” He added unable to control the half smile that crossed his face.

“You’ll have to tell me all about. Really, I just…” She trailed off for a moment before coming back to him, “I just wanted to hear your voice I guess.” Poe stared at the link in silence for a moment.

He wasn’t at a point to give a name or an intention to exactly what was going on between them nor could he put a name to the feelings she dragged out of him. They were in the middle of a war. He didn’t need to have his focus on anything but surviving the next battle, but somehow knowing she’d had a bad day and he’d been the voice she’s wanted hear? Well that brought a lot of things to the surface that he wasn’t sure he was ready to accept.

It wasn’t like he was completely shut off from something with her. When they were both on base Poe found himself seeking the cerulean haired woman out when he had a free moment and Evie had made it clear there were few others she’d rather eat a meal with more than Poe Dameron.

Poe knew he wasn’t right for her. He was eight years her senior. He out ranked her. He was the son of rebels turned farmers. He wasn’t the kind of guy who had anything to offer a girl like her. His credits were minimal, any security was laughable.

To Poe,they had nothing in common. Of course, their friends saw what he failed to acknowledge. Both Evie and Poe were loyal to a fault. Each had proven they’d put themselves at risk before they’d put others in harm's way, if they could help it. They both cared deeply for their loved ones, going out of their way to make sure everyone was ok. Both had reckless streaks lightyears long though, thank the Force, hers had yet to put her in any situation near as crazy or dangerous as Poe’s had.

“Poe? Are you still there?”

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. “Yeah, Eves, I’m here sweetheart. Is something bothering you?” He drops the endearment without thinking but if it bothered her she said nothing. “wasn’t expecting to hear from you, at least not till you got back.” he wanted to ask if she was safe but that was a question that was best not broached. Safe was subjective. And if she wasn’t? What could he do about it?

He listened as the line got scratchy. He could hear the rustle of blankets on the other end before she sighed. She sounded as tired as he felt. “I’m good. I really don’t want to talk about it...could you just-“ She trailed off again as if distracted.

“Tell me something good, Poe.” It’s more demand than request. His voice is soft when he speaks.

“Like what, Princess?”

“Tell me what your going to do when this war is over.” She sounded small, lost in a way he hadn’t known her capable of. Evie had always seemed ready to take on the world. She was steady and confident. He didn’t like the tone he heard. He thought again of asking her if she was ok but bit the question back as he ran a hand through his hair. BB-8 sat quietly in the corner running diagnostics. The little droid glanced his way beeping happily and Poe gave him a gentle smile.

“Bb-8 says ‘hi’.”

“insay ‘hi’ back. I miss that little monster.” Poe could hear the smile in her voice. She had a soft spot for the astro-mech. The feeling was mutual.

“Will do. So you want to know what I'm going to do after the war?” She hummed quietly. “I’ve thought about it, here and there, you know? Nothing to serious.” he began slowly. He can hear her breathing softly on the other end of the comm. “I figure once the Resistance is done with me I’m going back to Yavin. It’s where I was raised.” he explains. She makes a another soft humming noise and he wishes he had her tucked up against him. She’d spent the night in his bunk once. After a night at the bases makeshift cantina drinking with Rose and a few others. The engineer had dropped her off at his door stating that’s where there girl had requested to go.

“She said she wanted to ‘snuggle’.” Rose had giggled. Both women been adorably drunk and by the time he’d said goodnight to Rose and promised to be a gentleman Evie had already made herself comfortable in his bed. He’d tried to argue and offered to take her back to her own place but she ignored him. He’d attempted to set up shop on the floor but after a few fumbled attempts to pull him into bed Poe finally relented. He’d liked tucking in behind her and burying his face in the midnight blue of her hair. She was nearly as tall him but she fit perfectly against him. In the morning she’d snuck out while she thought he was still asleep. He wasn’t. They hadn’t talked about it and she’d left for her current mission not long after.

“After the Rebellion, my parents tended a small fruit grove. You’d love it.” He said wistfully. They hadn’t had much but his childhood had been pretty idyllic. He could still see Yavin in his eyes when he closed them. “Everything is green, every shade of it you could imagine, and even a few you couldn’t. When the trees are in bloom this sweet scent fills the air. I can’t even explain…” he tried to paint the picture even though he knew he was no artist. he faltered as an image of his mother working on their old A-wing popped into his head. Kriff, he missed her.

“It sounds lovely, Poe.”

“It is.” He confirmed. “During the rainy season there were these storms. The best in the galaxy. You could feel the thunder in the floorboards. The whole house shook. Those were the best nights of sleep I think I’ve ever had.” He thought of Evie again, asleep in his arms and wondered if she’d fit as well in his room on Yavin as she did the one he was in now. “Would you come visit?” Poe asks feeling suddenly awkward.

“You know all you would have to do is ask.” He swears he hears that smile in her voice again. “Tell me about the house?”

“How about you tell me about your bad day first?”

She let out a shuddering breath and the line goes quiet. for a second he’s afraid he’s lost his connection. “Come on, Eves, talk to me here. Just good old Poe, your buddy. I’m all ears.”

“My buddy…” he can hear her mumble.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.” She says stiffly. He notices how she doesn’t answer his question. “It’s just- Today I watched an interrogation and it was...” The words come out in a rush.

Oh

He lets his breath rush out between his teeth, “not what you were expecting?” He questions. She had the mind for intelligence work but he’d wondered before if she would have the stomach for some of the more...difficult aspects of the job.

“Can I be honest?” Evie asked, her voice tinged with an unfamiliar hint of anxiety.

“With me? You better be.” He warned.

“It made me really uncomfortable. I knew what was going to happen going in. My CO was pretty clear and what we needed to get and how far he was willing to go to get it.” The words tumble out in a steady stream. “But seeing it. Frag it, he wasn’t much older than a boy!” He listens as her voice cracks and the frustration crescendos. Evie didn’t curse often and it sounded foreign coming from her.

Poe thought back to the last interrogation he’d been subjected to. Kylo Ren still haunted his nightmares. The physical pain the First Order officers had handed out to him was nothing compared to the mental pain the Jedi Killer had dealt him. The feeling of someone forcing them self into your head, of trying to keep them out only to have them breakdown every mental barrier you could throw up. The searing burn, the sharp tearing, the memory of which still woke him in the night.

“You weren’t the one doing it? You just watched?” He asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I could ever do that.”

“War is ugly there's going to be things you don’t agree with.” He states simply. He winces, knowing he’s said the wrong thing as soon as it had left his mouth.

She barks an angry laugh, “I’m not some doe-eyed little mooncalf. I get what war is”

He presses the heel of one hand into an eye and rubs, “Do you? I’m not saying you-“

“What are you saying?” She sounds angry and he tries to rein in his own irritation. He doesn’t do well.

“What do you want me to say? You want me to tell you that what you saw shouldn’t happen? That we’re wrong? None of us are innocent. Not you, not me, not the prisoner you saw today.” He pushes to his feet and paces the floor, making quick turns as he walks the length of the room in three strides, “in a perfect galaxy none of this would happen but it’s not perfect out there. Far from it.” Where had this conversation taken such a bad turn?

“Eves, your not supposed to be comfortable with it. I wouldn’t like the woman who was comfortable with it. You don’t have to like it but, sweetheart,” there’s that endearment again, “You can’t let it eat at you. The information intelligence gets saves lives.” He sinks back onto the bed the bed. “Trust me when I say, anything we do is child’s play compared to the First Order.”

“I just-“

“Why did you call me, Evie?” He interrupts to throw out the question. She’s quiet. “I need an answer. Why did you call to argue with me? Why not Rose? Why not one of your intelligence buddies? Why call me?”

“I thought if I heard your voice, talked to you, everything would be better. I thought maybe I could forget for a little while what life’s become.” Her admission hits him like a ton of duracrete. Of all the people she could have called he was the one that she’d thought would make her feel better and here they were arguing. He wants to punch something. Instead he takes a deep breath.

“You wanted to know about the house on Yavin?” A soft ‘yes’ echoes back to him. He glances at the clock on the wall. He was going to hate himself for not getting sleep later. “It’s small, just a few bedrooms…”

**Author's Note:**

> I have ideas for this pairing. If there’s interest leave me comments. Let me know if you’d like to see more.


End file.
